- February 2026 Caravan Club Meeting -

This month’s meeting of the Amateur Radio Caravan Club will feature a Zoom presentation by Jeff, W5ABQ with an overview of the history of ham radio retail and the current state of brick and mortar stores. Jeff is a member of the Caravan Club, and the manager of the HRO store in Anaheim, CA. His presentation will inform the amateur radio community of the many retail options that are available to licensed and potential new hams and provide solutions, so they are equipped with products for effective radio communications. This presentation will be an informative and interactive discussion, and not an informerical or sales pitch.

Topics will include:

• Overview of the History & Background of Amateur Radio Retail

• Retail Stores (Brick & Mortar) Locations 

• Retail Process

• Behind the Scenes & Daily Happenings

• Current State & Trends

• Funnies, Myths & Trivia

• Question & Answer Session

We meet at the Heights Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 8600 Academy Rd NE (SE corner of Academy & Moon).  We start gathering about 6:00 PM, start the meeting at 6:30 and must be out of there by 8:30 so the night watchman can lock up the church.  If you have never attended before, please park in the rear of the church, enter through the single door back there, walk all the way down the hallway and you will hear us. We hope to see you there!

- It Was a COLD Winter Tailgate!!! -

New!!! After wisely postponing their 30th annual winter tailgate by one week due to forecasted snow and frigid temperatures, the 146.580 Simplex Group held it on January 31, 2026, only to be faced with a continued freezing temperature. Despite a clear 20 degree morning, intrepid vendors and hams attended looking for bargains and fellowship.  Our thanks to the Simplex group proceeding despite not catching a break this year on the weather!  See you next year!

- The 2026 Rocky Mountain Techfest is now open for registration -

Rocky Mountain Ham Radio is pleased to announce its TWELFTH annual New Mexico TechFest, an ARRL-sanctioned operating specialty event, on Saturday, February 28.

Join fellow amateur radio operators from around the Land of Enchantment and beyond for a full day of quality presentations, posterboards, and demonstrations delivered by some of the most experienced technical hams in and around New Mexico. TechFest is designed to be accessible to both experienced operators and newer hams who want to deepen their technical understanding and learn from one another while exploring emerging technologies in amateur radio. Prizes will be drawn throughout the event. Coffee, water, and light snacks will be available for in-person attendees, with an optional catered lunch available for purchase.

New Mexico TechFest is a hybrid event, offering both in-person attendance at the UNM Continuing Education Conference Center (1634 University Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87102) and live online participation via Zoom’s professional webinar platform, for those unable to travel or attend in person.

All interested hams are invited.  Additional details about the New Mexico TechFest can be found here.

FCC License Counts – The Federal Communiations Commission just released its FCC license Counts by state and license as of January 17, 2026. It’s an interesting read. Click Here  Our thanks to Yul Bratcher WA5YUL for sharing. Enjoy!

- New Technician Class Question Pool Released –

The National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC) Question Pool Committee (QPC) released the revised 2026-2030 Technician Class (Element 2) question pool. It will be required for all exam sessions beginning July 1, 2026. The new pool includes 409 questions (27 new, 30 removed, and about 155 modified), compared to 412 in the prior pool. The pool also includes three diagrams used for some of the questions.  You can view all question pools on the NCVEC website.

Getting Started in Ham Radio - A page has been added to the Become a Ham tab titled Getting Started in Ham Radio.  Thanks to Pete Stine for this write up to help those interested in becoming a licensed Amateur Radio Operator.

Please sign our log, explore our site, and consider joining our growing club. 73

Website Committee:  Pete KE5WTM; Larry K5LRY, Mark W5MHG Site Last Updated: February 1, 2026. Copyright © 2026, Caravan Radio Club.  All rights reserved.